Netrin-1: A Serum Marker Predicting Cognitive Impairment after Spinal Cord Injury

Objective. Although cognitive impairment has received more attention in recent years as a result of spinal cord injury (SCI), the pathogenic process that causes it is still unknown. The neuroprotective effects of Netrin as a family of laminin-related secreted proteins were discovered. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes of serum Netrin-1 after SCI and its relationship with cognitive impairment. Methods. 96 SCI patients and 60 controls were included in our study. We collected baseline data from all participants, measured their serum Netrin-1 levels, and followed up their cognitive levels 3 months later. Results. The clinical baseline values between the control and SCI groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). However, the serum Netrin-1 level in the SCI group was significantly lower than that in the control group (528.4±88.3 pg/ml vs. 673.5±97.2 pg/ml, p